Self-priming pump assembly



Sept. 28, 1965 v. JACUZZI 0 SELF-PRIMING PUMP ASSEMBLY Filed Oct. 14, 1963 I 4 INVENTOR. VALER/A/VO JAGUZZ/ 1 BY K HIS ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,208,390 SELF-PRIMING PUMP ASSEMBLY Valeriano Jacuzzi, Oakley, Calif., assignor to Jacuzzi Bros, Incorporated, a corporation of California Filed Oct. 14, 1963, Ser. No. 315,797 6 Claims. (Cl. 103-113) My invention relates to impeller type pumps, and more particularly to a self-priming pump assembly utilizing impellers.

Among the objects of my invention are:

(1) To provide a novel and improved self-priming pump assembly;

(2) To provide a novel and improved self-priming pump assembly which is structurally compact;

(3) To provide a novel and improved self-priming pump assembly utilizing a double impeller stage for selfpriming purposes.

Additional objects of my invention will be brought out in the following description of a preferred embodiment of the same, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing wherein:

The figure is a longitudinal view in cross section, of a pump assembly embodying the present invention.

Referring to the drawing for details of my invention in its preferred form, the same utilizes a pair of impellers 3, 5 in a common impeller housing 7, the impellers being shown in back to back relationship, with the impeller housing having two intake openings 9, 11 and a common discharge volute 13.

The impellers are mounted on a shaft 15 driven by a motor 17, and housed within a pump housing 19 having a rear end wall 21 on which the motor is mounted, and a front end wall 23 which is bolted or otherwise afiixed to the rest of the pump housing. The front end and rear walls of the pump housing have aligned shaft openings 25 and 27, through which the motor shaft passes. A shaft bearing 28 in the rear end wall and the impeller bearings rotationally support the shaft.

In the front end wall is an intake opening 37 to the intake 9 of the impeller housing, in offset relationship to the motor shaft, while discharge from the pump housing is provided for in an upper wall 39 thereof adjacent the rear end wall of the pump housing, where provision in the form of a threaded pipe connecting opening 41, is made for coupling a discharge pipe thereto.

The attachment of the front end wall of the pump housing occurs in the mid-plane of the impeller housing 7 whereby one-half of the impeller housing may be cast integral with the front end wall of the pump housing, to facilitate assembling of the double impeller on the drive shaft. The other half of the impeller housing is then cast integral with the main portion of the pump housing, along with internal walls 47, 49 within the pump housing forming a priming chamber 51 with a flow connection to the intake opening 11 of the impeller housing.

The priming chamber walls include horizontal portions 53, 55 thereof closely spaced, the lower of these walls 55 having an opening 59 therein providing a second flow connection from the intake opening 37 in the front end wall of the pump housing, this flow connection being to the interior of the priming chamber while the upper of these priming chamber walls 53 has an aligned opening 63 providing flow communication between the discharge from the impeller volute 13 to the interior of the priming chamber.

Between these parallel wall sections of the priming chamber, and in alignment with the openings therein, is a double valve assembly 67 including an upper valve 69 and a lower valve 71, such valve assembly being adapted to close off either opening to the exclusion of the other,

l'ififi fi fi Patented Sept. 28, 1965 by engaging the wall surface surrounding such opening as a valve seat. To guide and control the valve movement of the double valve assembly, a guide boss 73 is provided on the lower wall of the pump housing in axial alignment with the double valve assembly, while on the upper wall 39 of the pump housing, is located an inverted cylinder 75, also in axial alignment with the double valve assembly, such cylinder having a piston 77 slidably supported therein against the action of a restoring spring 79 disposed between the piston and the end wall of the cylinder.

A valve stem 83 depending from the lower valve 71 of the double valve assembly, slidably engages the guide boss while a valve stem 85 extending upwardly from the upper valve 69 of the double valve assembly, connects with the aforementioned piston 77. In the absence of pressure within the pump housing, it will be apparent that the restoring spring behind the piston will urge the double valve assembly to its lower position, where it valves off the opening in the lower wall of the priming chamber, and this will be the normal position of the valve assembly during a non-operating period of the pump.

In starting up the pump assembly, water entering through the opening 37 in the front end wall of the pump housing, will thus enter the impeller housing only from one side at the intake opening 9, while any water stored in the priming chamber may enter the impeller housing at the proximate side thereof through the intake opening 11 facing into the priming chamber. Air or air entrained with Water, entering the pump housing from the external source through the front wall opening 37 can, after passing through the impeller 3, find its way to the discharge from the pump housing, while any water in the discharge from the impeller housing will have access to the priming chamber through the upper valve opening 63 and continue to circulate until the water coming in from the external source is sufiiciently free of entrained air, to build up pressure within the pump housing, whereupon, the build up of such pressure will ultimately overcome the pressure of the spring 79 behind the piston and force the piston upwardly against the restoring action of such spring, whereby to cause the double valve assembly 67 to valve off the upper opening 63 to the priming chamber, and at the same time uncover the lower opening 59 and place the priming chamber in flow communication with the opening 37 in the front end wall of the pump housing.

Thereafter, water coming into the pump housing from the external source, will divide between the two impellers 3 and 5, which will now function in parallel, while the combined output from such impellers will be pumped out through the discharge opening 41 in the pump housing, having no other place to go.

To forestall any such water from getting in behind the piston and impairing proper functioning of the double valve assembly, the piston is preferably sealed to the wall of the cylinder by a folded diaphragm 91 adapted to permit full travel of the piston in its cylinder.

The external source of liquid may be a well, in which case the suction line from the well may terminate at the intake opening 37 in the front end wall of the pump housing, though I prefer to interpose an intermediate impeller stage 93, the housing 95 of which may be bolted to the front end wall of the pump housing with its impeller 97 mounted on the motor shaft 15.

It will be apparent from the foregoing description of my invention in its preferred form, that the same will function to attain the objects of my invention, and while I illustrated and described the same in considerable detail, I do not desire to be limited in my protection to the specific details so illustrated and described except as may be necessitated by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A self-priming pump assembly comprising a double impeller unit including a shaft,

a pair of single stage impellers on said shaft, and

an impeller housing for said impellers, providing an inlet to each,

a pump housing enclosing said double impeller unit, and including an intake opening in a wall thereof and a discharge opening,

said intake opening being in flow communication with one of said impellers, and

said discharge opening being in flow communication with the discharge from said impeller housing,

a priming chamber within said pump housing,

said priming chamber being in flow communication with the other of said impellers, and having a pair of wall sections in diiferent planes,

one of said Wall sections having an opening placing said pump housing intake opening in flow communication with said other impeller,

the other of said Wall sections having an opening placing the discharge side of said impeller housing in flow communication with said other impeller,

and valve means adapted for blocking either of said Wall section openings to the exclusion of the other.

.2. A self-priming pump assembly comprising a double impeller unit including a shaft,

a pair of single stage impellers on said shaft, and

an impeller housing for said impellers, providing an inlet to each,

a pump housing enclosing said double impeller unit, and including an intake opening in a wall thereof and a discharge opening,

said intake opening being in flow communication with one of said impellers, and

said discharge opening being in flow communication with the discharge from said impeller housing,

a priming chamber within said pump housing,

said priming chamber being in flow communication with the other of said impellers, and having opposing wall sections in parallel planes,

one of said wall sections having an opening placing said pump housing intake opening in flow communication with said other impeller,

the other of said parallel wall sections having an opening in alignment with said first opening and placing the discharge side of said impeller housing in flow communication with said other impeller,

and valve means adapted for blocking either of said parallel wall section openings to the exclusion of the other.

3. A self-priming pump assembly comprising a double impeller unit including a shaft,

a pair of single stage impellers in back to back relationship on said shaft, and

an impeller housing for said impellers, providing an inlet to each,

a pump housing enclosing said double impeller unit, and including an intake opening in a wall thereof and a discharge opening,

said intake opening being in flow communication with one of said impellers, and

said discharge opening being in flow communication with the discharge from said impeller housing,

a priming chamber within said pump housing,

said priming chamber being in flow communication with the other of said impellers, and having a pair of wall sections in different planes,

one of said Wall sections having an opening placing said pump housing intake opening in flow communication with said other impeller,

the other of said wall sections having an opening placing the discharge side of said impeller housing in flow communication with said other impeller,

and valve means adapted for blocking either of said wall section openings to the exclusion of the other, said valve means including a double valve assembly intermediate said Wall sections,

and

means supporting said double valve assembly for movement between a position closing said one wall section opening to the exclusion of said other Wall section opening, and a position closing said other wall section opening to the exclusion of said one wall section opening.

4. A self-priming pump assembly comprising a double impeller unit including a shaft,

a pair of single stage impellers in back to back relationship on said shaft, and

an impeller housing for said impellers, providing an inlet to each,

a pump housing enclosing said double impeller unit, and including an intake opening in a wall thereof and a discharge opening,

said intake open-ing being in flow communication with one of said impellers, and

said discharge opening being in flow communication with the discharge from said impeller housing,

a priming chamber within said pump housing,

said priming chamber being in flow communication with the other of said impellers, and having opposing wall sections in parallel planes,

one of said wall sections having an opening placing said pump housing intake opening in flow communication with said other impeller,

the other of said parallel wall sections having an opening in alignment with said first opening and placing the discharge side of said impeller housing in flow communication with said other impeller,

and valve means adapted for blocking either of said parallel wall section openings to the exclusion of the other, said valve means including a double valve assembly intermediate said parallel wall sections, and

means supporting said double valve assembly for movement between a position closing said one wall section opening to the exclusion of said other wall section opening, and a position closing said other Wall section opening to the exclusion of said one wall section opening.

5. A self-priming pump assembly comprising a double impeller unit including a shaft,

a pair of single stage impellers in back to back relationship on said shaft, and

an impeller housing for said impellers, providing an inlet to each,

a pump housing enclosing said double impeller unit, and including an intake opening in a wall thereof and a discharge opening,

said intake opening being in flow communication with one of said impellers, and

said discharge opening being in flow communication with the discharge from said impeller housing,

a priming chamber within said pump housing,

said priming chamber being in flow communication with the other of said impellers, and having a pair of wall sections in different planes,

one of said wall sections having an opening placing said pump housing intake opening in flow communication with said other impeller,

the other of said wall sections having an opening placing the discharge side of said impeller housing in flow communication with said other impeller,

and valve means adapted for blocking either of said wall section openings to the exclusion of the other, said valve means including a double valve assembly intermediate said parallel wall sections, and

means supporting said double valve assembly for movement between a position closing said one wall section opening to the exclusion of said other wall section opening, and a position closing said other wall section opening to the exclusion of said one wall section opening, said last means comprising a guide boss on a wall of said pump housing in axial alignment with said double valve assembly,

a cylinder on a different wall of said pump housing,

a piston slidably supported in said cylinder,

a valve stem extending from said double valve assembly and slidably engaging said guide boss, and

means coupling said double valve assembly with said piston.

6. A self-priming pump assembly comprising a double impeller unit including a shaft,

a pair of single stage impellers in back to back relationship on said shaft, and

an impeller housing for said impellers, providing an inlet to each,

a pump housing enclosing said double impeller unit, and including an intake opening in a wall thereof and a discharge opening,

said intake opening being in fiow communication with one of said impellers, and

said discharge opening being in flow communication with the discharge from said impeller housing,

a priming chamber within said pump housing,

said priming chamber being in flow communication with the other of said impellers, and having opposing wall sections in parallel horizontal planes,

the lower of said wall sections having an opening placing said pump housing intake opening in flow communication with said other impeller,

the upper of said parallel wall sections having an opening in alignment with said first opening and placing the discharge side of said impeller housing in fiow communication with said other impeller,

and valve means adapted for blocking either of said parallel wall section openings to the exclusion of the other, said valve means including a double valve assembly intermediate said parallel wall sections and including an upper valve and a lower valve, and 7 means supporting said double valve assembly for move ment between a lower position closing said lower opening to the exclusion of said upper opening, and an upper position closing said upper opening to the exclusion of said lower opening, said last means comprising a guide boss on a wall of said pump housing below and in axial alignment with said double valve assembly,

a cylinder in axial alignment with said guide boss and double valve assembly on an opposing wall of said pump housing,

a piston slidably supported in said cylinder,

21 valve stem extending downwardly from the lower valve of said double valve assembly and slidably engaging said guide boss, and

a valve stem extending upwardly from the upper valve of said double valve assembly and connecting with said piston.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,581,204 4/26 Hariveau 1O3----113 FOREIGN PATENTS 28,285 10/24 France. 1,055,259 10/53 France.

776,395 6/57 Great Britain.

DONLEY I. STOCKING, Primary Examiner.

4 HENRY F. RADUAZO, Examiner. 

1. A SELF-PRIMING PUMP ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A DOUBLE IMPELLER UNIT INCLUDING A SHAFT, A PAIR OF SINGLE STAGE IMPELLERS ON SAID SHAFT, AND AN IMPELLER HOUSING FOR SAID IMPELLERS, PROVIDING AN INLET TO EACH, A PUMP HOUSING ENCLOSING SAID DOUBLE IMPELLER UNIT, AND INCLUDING AN INTAKE OPENING IN A WALL THEREOF AND A DISCHARGE OPENING, SAID INTAKE OPENING BEING IN FLOW COMMUNICATION WITH ONE OF SAID IMPELLERS, AND SAID DISCHARGE OPENING BEING IN FLOW COMMUNICATION WITH THE DISCHARGE FROM SAID IMPELLER HOUSING, A PRIMING CHAMBER WITHIN SAID PUMP HOUSING, SAID PRIMING CHAMBER BEING IN FLOW COMMUNICATIOIN WITH THE OTHER OF SAID IMPELLERS, AND HAVING A PAIR OF WALL SECTIONS IN DIFFERENT PLANES, ONE OF SAID WALL SECTIONS HAVING AN OPENING PLACING SAID PUMP HOUSING INTAKE OPENING IN FLOW COMMUNICATION WITH SAID OTHER IMPELLER, 